Housing survey work continues

Housing coalitions looking over info and will use it to determine their next steps

A project that has been looking at housing in western Nova Scotia seems at least to have raised awareness of the topic, which is good, given how important it is, says a spokesperson for the initiative.

Denise Vacon, health promoter with Public Health Services, has been one of the main spokespersons for the project, which is examining the housing picture in Shelburne, Yarmouth, Digby, Annapolis and Kings counties and West Hants.

An initiative involving housing coalitions and other groups in conjunction with Public Health, the project was launched last fall with a public survey. There also have been a couple more specialized surveys.

“One objective of the needs assessment was to build community understanding and raise the profile of the issue,” Vacon said. “I would say we are well underway to meeting that objective.”

One of the initial findings was that housing insecurity and the risk of homelessness are prevalent across the region. Housing insecurity was found to be more pervasive than many people might have thought.

The survey period was followed by some community engagement sessions and the results from those are still being looked at.

“The housing coalitions are also looking over the information and will be using it to determine their next steps in addressing safe and affordable housing across our rural communities,” Vacon said.

The plan is to work with municipal units, not- for- profit groups and other stakeholders, she said, to develop partnerships and help address policy and infrastructure issues around housing affordability and availability.

“It’s been a long process,” she acknowledged, “and there’s a lot more we could look at. The data set is huge.

That’s a good thing. We’re also hoping to condense some of it into shorter segments for specific groups/ partners.

The full report gives the detail, but isn’t always useful to everyone.” Those involved in the project are happy to work with groups to help them understand what actions they can take and roles they can play in trying to address housing- related challenges, Vacon said.

“It’s our collective efforts that will make the biggest differences,” she said.

Visit www. daashgroup. com for detailed information on the project.

“It’s been a long process and there’s a lot more we could look at. The data set is huge. That’s a good thing. We’re also hoping to condense some of it into shorter segments for specific groups/partners.” — Denise Vacon

Denise Vacon, health promoter with Public Health Services, has been the main spokesperson for a project that has been exploring the housing picture in a five-county-plus section of western Nova Scotia.